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Public authorities & public sector

Translation and interpreting for Liège public services
across the whole province of Liège

For the municipalities, public welfare centres, inter-municipal companies and Walloon authorities of the province. Municipalities of the province, public welfare centres, inter-municipal companies and Walloon public services.

Tender specifications French, Dutch, German Sworn interpreters Invoice against purchase order

16

Municipalities served

3

Official languages in Belgium

24 h

Interpreter secured

1 h

Priced quote in return

Documents we handle

Your documents: public authorities & public sector

The public sector in Liège writes in two languages at once: that of the regulation, which tolerates no approximation, and that of the letter to the citizen, which has to be understood first time. We do not give both to the same writer.

01

Public procurement

Tender specifications, contract notices, bids and award decisions, within the publication deadlines.

02

Decisions and by-laws

Municipal council and executive decisions, municipal regulations, orders and ordinances.

03

Letters to citizens

Letters, forms and information sheets for the public, written in language that can be read without a dictionary.

04

Civil status and population

Certificates, household composition records, proof of residence and national register extracts.

05

Websites and communication

Municipal websites, information bulletins, prevention campaigns and welcome material.

06

Reports and grant files

Annual reports of inter-municipal bodies, regional and European grant applications, provincial communications.

Public authorities & public sector
How we work

The way we handle the public authorities & public sector sector

From Herstal to Verviers, front desks see people every day who speak neither French nor Dutch. The interpreter's role there is a narrow one: to translate, without advising and without taking sides, in interviews where neutrality determines whether what is recorded stands up.

The documents fall into two registers that must not be mixed. A public procurement specification follows formal requirements and publication deadlines; a letter to a citizen has to be understood on first reading. We hand those two families to different linguists, because they are not the same skills.

In the east of the province, German is not a foreign language: the German-speaking Community has it as an official language, and a document intended for Eupen must reach it in German. We also know what population departments check on a translation, which spares files being sent back over a misplaced stamp.

  • Specifications and public procurement documents
  • Council decisions, municipal regulations and orders
  • Letters and forms addressed to citizens
  • Population and civil status documents
Interpreters on site

The situations where an interpreter changes the outcome

At the counter the officer has ten minutes and the citizen does not have the words. The interpreter holds that thread without ever taking sides.

Municipal counters

Population, civil status, foreign nationals and planning services, across the sixteen municipalities we serve.

Social welfare interviews

Social enquiries, applications for assistance and individual support at the CPAS.

Public sessions

Advisory committees, neighbourhood meetings and information evenings on a municipal project.

Residence procedures

Interviews about residence, nationality and applications for international protection.

Before submitting a bid, check whether the tender specifications require a sworn translation of the documents. That requirement is common, and noticing it after the bids are opened cannot be put right. We run that check with you when we quote.

How it runs

Four steps, one contact person

The same person follows your public authorities & public sector file from the quote request to the moment the document is handed over.

  1. 01

    You send us the document

    A phone photo is enough, even a crooked one. For an interpreter, give us the date, the place and the language.

  2. 02

    Priced quote within 1 h

    Amount, deadline and format: sworn when an authority requires it, standard when it does not. Free, with no obligation.

  3. 03

    The file goes to a specialist

    A translator used to public authorities & public sector vocabulary drafts it, a reviser goes over the text afterwards.

  4. 04

    Handover or on-site assignment

    File by email, stamped copy by registered post if the counter asks for it. The interpreter, meanwhile, joins you at the agreed time.

A tender to publish or a counter to staff?

An invoice that fits your public accounting rules, a sworn interpreter secured within 24 h.

Free and with no obligation Fixed price, no surcharges Answer within 1 hour
What we commit to

Six reasons to trust us with a public authorities & public sector file

01

An invoice that passes the audit

Purchase order references, a detailed description of the service and the particulars expected by the accounts department of a municipality, an inter-municipal body or the Province of Liège.

02

Neutrality held to the end

The interpreter does not advise, does not comment and never answers in place of the citizen, even when asked to.

03

A linguist from your field

A specialised file never goes to a generalist translator, not even when the deadline is tight.

04

Contractual confidentiality

A confidentiality agreement signed by everyone involved, servers located in the European Union, files deleted on request.

05

A price fixed in advance

What appears on the quote is what appears on the invoice: translation, revision and delivery included, with no line added along the way.

06

Travel included across the province

Our interpreters come to Liège, Huy, Verviers, Eupen or Waremme with no mileage charge.

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Do you translate into German for the German-speaking Community?

Yes. German is the country's third official language and the administrative language of the Eupen area. We translate agreements, letters and procurement documents in both directions, with linguists who use Belgian administrative terminology rather than German usage.

Do you invoice against a purchase order?

Yes. The invoice carries your purchase order references, the detail of the service and the particulars your finance department needs. For the recurring needs of a municipality or an inter-municipal body, we set up an agreement with monthly invoicing.

Do you handle the Dutch of tender specifications?

It is a large part of our work with the Walloon public sector. Procurement language is heavily codified: we translate from a glossary aligned with the official terminology of the Walloon Region and the federal government, rather than improvising equivalents as we go.

Which languages come up most often at the counter?

Across the province, Arabic, Turkish, Italian, Romanian and Ukrainian, almost always into French, with German added in the east. Dutch remains very present on institutional documents, far less so in direct contact with the public.

✦ Free quote within 1 hour

Get your free quote within the hour

Send us your document or your date: firm price, precise deadline, no obligation. You then decide, with everything in front of you.

Sworn translators & interpreters Contractual confidentiality Travel included across the province